Paramount pays Trump $ 16 million to solve the process of him after a CBS interview with Kamala Harris, a decision criticized from several directions

CBS journalists, organizations for the defense of freedom of expression and democratic politicians are dissatisfied with the decision of the Paramount company, of which the CBS television network is part, to give in to the legal attacks of the White House, writes the New York Times.

Paramount company announced on Tuesday evening that he agreed to pay President Donald Trump to solve the process of him about the alleged editing of an interview with Kamala Harris from the CBS News show “60 minutes”, an extraordinary concession made to an important president.

Paramount said that the amount paid includes Trump's legal fees and legal expenses and that the money, minus legal fees, will be paid to Trump's future presidential library.

As part of the agreement, Paramount said he agreed to publish the transcripts of future “60 minutes” interviews with the president candidates.

The company said the agreement does not include apologies. Even so, the concession offered by Paramount is the clearest sign so far that Trump's policy of intimidating the big American media institutions, writes New York Times.

A representative of Trump greets “another victory for the American people”

Many lawyers rejected Trump's trial as unfounded and believed that CBS eventually won in court, partly because the network did not report anything in fact from a factual point of view, and the first amendment offers publishers a great freedom of action regarding the presentation of information.

Shari Redstone, Paramount President, had previously told the Board of Directors that he was in favor of an agreement with Trump.

The reason: some directors of the company considered that the process filed by the president is a potential obstacle to completing the company's sale to the Hollywood Skydance studio, a transaction worth multiple dollars, which requires the approval of the Trump administration.

Paramount also said that the two problems have no connection.

A spokesman for Trump's legal team said that the agreement represents “another victory for the American people” obtained by the president, who “held the media that broadcasts false news”.

“CBS and Paramount Global realized the importance of this historical case and had no option than to reach an agreement,” said the spokesman.

Critics in CBS editorial

The Paramount Board of Directors was worried that the payment of a larger amount to settle the case could increase the company's exposure to potential legal actions from shareholders who accused them of bribery.

In the CBS editorial, the agreement is considered a moment of decline in the history of almost a century of a network that at some point hired on Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow, a critic of McCarthism in the 1950s.

“60 minutes”, which was the pioneer of investigative reports broadcast on television, recently ended the 51st consecutive season as the most watched news program in the country.

What Trump supported

Trump sued Paramount for $ 10 billion last year, claiming that “60 minutes” cheated an interview with the former Deputy President Kamala Harris, thus interfering with the presidential elections.

The transcript of the interview showed that Harris offered a long and vague answer to a question about Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel-Hamas war.

About 21 seconds of that answer were broadcast in an interview promise in the show “Face The Nation”, another CBS News show.

Another seven seconds of the answer was broadcast the next day in an episode of “60 minutes” broadcast in prime time.

Trump said in his process that the CBS actions to edit the final interview were a “distortion of the news” that aimed to tilt the balance in favor of the Democratic Party.

Paramount challenged this characterization.

Resignation at CBS

The tensions within the network regarding the management of the president's legal attacks contributed to the resignation of the executive producer of the show “60 minutes”, Bill Owens. The president of CBS News, Wendy McMahon, was later forced to resign.

Following the evolution of the case, many CBS journalists considered that in the game it is the long -term credibility of the show “60 minutes”.

Scott Pelley, the veteran correspondent of the show “60 minutes”, said last month that any agreement would be “very harmful to CBS, for Paramount and for the reputation of these companies.”

An effect of the process was that the CBS and Paramount management analyzed more carefully than the segments in the “60 minutes” show that could be interpreted as critical of the Trump administration.

CBS News did not give up any news due to pressures, but Owens, the former executive producer, said when he resigned that he was “not allowed” to make independent journalistic decisions.

McMahon, the Executive President, also said that “it became clear that the company and I do not agree on the way to follow.”

Other critics

Senators such as Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders in Vermont warned that any Paramount payment to Trump could be interpreted as a bribe and said they will consider organizing a Congress hear on this topic.

There were other reactions.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation, a group that advocates the first amendment, said it intends to file a trial on behalf of shareholders against Paramount President and the Board of Directors in the event of an agreement.

Trump's processes

Trump has launched several legal attacks against media institutions, which he accuses of promoting false news, an approach criticized by organizations that advocate for the freedom of the press.

The Paramount decision follows another agreement accepted by ABC News, which resolved a defamation process filed by Trump.

As part of this agreement, which was made public on December 14, the network donated $ 15 million to Trump's presidential library and apologized for the comments of presenter George Stephanopoulos, who inaccurates that Trump was found responsible for rape.

On December 17, he filed a lawsuit against the newspaper Des Moines Register and his former survey director because of the poll published on November 2, which showed that Harris was departing Trump with three percentage points in Iowa.